In current computing environments, there are a wide range of different types of devices for running applications. Each of the different devices can have display screens of different resolutions, they can use different input mechanisms, they can have display screens of different sizes, they can use different aspect ratios, etc. Some such devices include smart phones, multimedia players, cellular phones, tablet computers, desktop computers, laptop computers, and other devices, including other mobile devices.
Given all these types of devices, it can be difficult to design or customize a user interface to an application. In fact, many current systems require separate designs for each type of device (or device category). The current designs also increase or decrease the size of displayed items in a fixed way between different device environmental definitions. In fact, current systems are quite limited in their ability to adapt to different screen sizes. For instance, they are quite limited in their ability to stretch or grow a display, or to shrink or reduce the display, in a meaningful way, when the display is shown on different types of devices.
This problem can even be exacerbated in certain environments. For instance, people who use business applications for their work are tending, more and more, to use different types of devices to do their work. For instance, there is an increasing number of workers who use mobile devices, such as tablet computers or smart phones, with increasing frequency, to run business applications. They perform their work either at their work location, or from a remote location. These same workers often use desktop computers to run the same applications, as well. Therefore, a single worker may use multiple different types of devices to run the same business application in order to do his or her work. This makes designing a user interface to that application even more difficult.
The discussion above is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.